


Puffin

by beastlycheese



Series: Birds [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Rumbelle - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Rumbelle Christmas in July, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 17:30:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15417984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beastlycheese/pseuds/beastlycheese
Summary: Rumbelle Christmas in July gift for worryinglyinnocent.Belle is a keen birdwatcher in search of a great spot to watch the puffins nesting. She daringly breaks into Mr Gold's impressive estate.Prompts were sun, sea, surf and ... no spoilers





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WorryinglyInnocent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/gifts).



> Many thanks to maplesyrupao3 for giving this a thorough once over and barpurplewrites for believing in me.

_Nooo!_ Her pocket was vibrating, that was all she needed just now. An inquisition text from Ruby.

Ruby : You’re late AGAIN!!!

Belle: Sorry. Busy. I’ll pop in for a late lunch

Ruby: Don’t tell me you are missing our breakfast n bitch session to play spot the birdy in your hunting tent again??

Belle: Stop calling it that! You know I hate hunting. It’s a pop-up camouflage hide.

Ruby: You’re getting obsessed, what is it this time, the blue footed boobs?

Belle: Puffins. I’m watching puffins. There are only a few breeding sites in Maine. I want to follow them from nesting until the chicks fledge. For your information, there are only brown boobies in Maine. The blue footed boobies are on my wish list, though.

Ruby: Lol. Just imagining boobs with feet again

Belle: You have a one track mind.

Ruby: Your version of bird watching is not mine, that’s for certain

Belle: Bye, need both hands for the binoculars.

Ruby: Liar, I just know you took your tripod. Fine, I will call you and you can put me on speaker

Belle: No talking in the hide!

Ruby: Fine. Just can’t understand the point of sitting in a tent at ungodly hours staring at birds for hours on end. Why don’t you just get a budgie and then we can at least sit in your living room together, drink wine, and chat?

Belle: I’m not going to cage a bird. They need to be free. I find them intriguing, ok? I like tracking them down, lying in wait, the buzz when you finally get a good view and you can watch a part of their lives.

Ruby: You are a bird nerd.

Belle: Yes. Now leave me to enjoy my nerdery.

Ruby: That is not a word. You should be ashamed.

Belle had had enough at this point and buried her phone under her back pack. She had missed enough action and now her view had become obscured by a rock. It was so frustrating; she had been so patient and the moment she had got a glimpse, Ruby had interrupted. Mind you, the view was still heavenly, early morning sun glistening on the sea, making the water seem like a dragon’s hoard of sparkling jewels. The surf gently lapping on the shore. And then… yes, finally edging into view, beautiful, awe inspiring, though admittedly not the highly-prized puffin but a rump much more majestic and golden in the light, shimmering: the lustrous buttocks of Mr Gold.


	2. Chapter 2

It had started off with a legitimate search for the Atlantic puffin. There were only a few breeding sites in Maine, a handful of islands off the coast. She could get a tour boat from the docks later in the season but she hadn’t been able to cope with the thought of being cooped up with all the day-trippers with their screaming kids, the ignorant tourists out as much for the boat ride as the chance to see these striking birds. Plus, she would have to deal with Captain Killian and his smarminess, all handsy as he “helped” you on board. Rumour was that he also got too close to the island, disturbing the colony all to get the “money shot”. Okay, taking the boat would put a tick next to puffin in her _Guide to the Birds of Maine_ , but she felt like it would be cheating and she so loved to take her time to watch the birds quietly, undisturbed.

So, armed with a map and her trusty binoculars, she had scoured the coast for a good vantage point as close to the islands as possible, with the hope that a few birds had chosen the cliffs on the mainland. Her birding friends, Merlin and Lance, had told her she had no chance, puffin numbers were falling drastically, probably due to global warming. If she did find a site, she must keep it quiet so as not to deluge the place with twitchers and tourists so as not to disturb nesting season. However, they would, of course, be keen to come down from Boston and get a look. That was not going to happen. She should have kept her mouth shut about her plans. Merlin and she had become quite competitive of late. First to 150 species was getting a three course meal with drinks at the restaurant they had frequented while at college.

It was just her luck, of course, that the most promising spots were all on private property, and not just anyone’s but the large estate of Mr Gold. The guy was universally hated. He seemed to be everyone’s landlord and notoriously as hard as nails. No rent extensions, no excuses, full rent on time or you were out. Plus, this was a town where everyone knew everyone and all their stories, while Gold was very closed off, snarky and secretive. No one even knew his first name, many had guessed and failed to get an answer which led to many unflattering nicknames. They had settled on Rumpelstiltskin, the most un-guessable name of all.

Not that she had any problems with him. They had even had some decent conversations about literature. He was a very keen reader and frequent visitor to her library. That made him one of the good guys in her eyes. They even had a running joke about his guilty pleasure for reading westerns. He was embarrassed to be seen with something he deemed to be “popular”. So she either sandwiched his choice between a couple of classics or packaged it up in brown paper. The town, who never missed a thing, were convinced she was dealing in erotic literature. The nuns had stopped attending. Leroy had marched to the issue desk and demanded he see the “under the counter stuff”. The mayor had even requested a full list of all the books issued in the last six months.

Mr Gold may be friendly with her in her library, but Belle knew that he would not take kindly to her trespassing on his land. She did not want to get on the wrong side of him and witness one of his legendary destructive rages. However, the lure of the puffin proved too much. She had been watching endless footage of the comical birds waddling about, brightly coloured beaks brimming with fish. She was determined to see them in the flesh. What she hadn’t expected was to find Gold and _his_ flesh!


	3. Chapter 3

Belle’s bird watching expeditions had quickly started to centre around viewing the Golden Beauty (as she coded him in her notebook). The first time had been a shock. He had appeared in all his glorious nakedness and she had scrambled out of her hide and made a mad dash for it. When she had returned to her flat above the library, panting, hot and bothered, she had been relieved not to have been caught but had quickly realised she needed to return to retrieve her belongings. She wasn’t to know that it was part of Gold’s morning routine, to skinny dip at dawn and watch the sun rise. But it had been. Now watching him and enjoying the full spectacle of sea, sand, sun, surf and ass was her favourite way to start the day. She felt guilty, of course, and called herself all the names under the sun. She woke up in sweats after dreaming of her arrest, her sacking and her imprisonment as a pervy voyeur. Was she in fact a sex offender? Would she go straight to hell? However, it all seemed irrelevant in the early morning sun. It was a purely magical experience, his glittering body just part of the spellbinding beauty of nature.

  
It was also perfectly innocent. She had comforted herself with the fact that she had never seen his private parts. He had always resolutely been standing looking out to sea and had disappeared round the other side of the rock when he departed. So, he might as well have just been in trunks. Apart from what she had seen of his as, she had dreamt and longed for more. Who was she kidding? She was going to burn!

  
Now she was even lying to her best friend. She would just have to give up her perverted addiction, go cold turkey, and never see her Golden Beauty again.

  
Perhaps she could ask him out? No, he would never be interested in a poor librarian with nothing, him all in his fine designer suits lording it in his glorious villa and magnificent estate.

  
It was time to go. She had the day off work, but she had to leave now, turn over a new leaf, pack away the binoculars, concede to Merlin, take up crochet, re-read the entire library, even go out with that vile Gaston hulk who kept bothering her. She would have one last look and then pack away. It was typical, as soon as she went for her last look, he had gone, she scanned around the rock, no sign, not on the little ledge either. She was despairing when she noticed movement on the shore line.

  
There he was. Gold, stark naked, full frontal and staring right at her position. He was magnificent and the first sight of his penis made her gasp. It was large, magnificent, stunning, surely sculpted by the gods, sparkling and bouncing side to side, round and round mesmerizing her. She was entranced, enchanted, and then it dawned on her. It’s vigorous movement was being caused by Gold running vigorously towards her.


	4. Chapter 4

“What the fucking hell do you think you are doing? Get out of this tent immediately! You are trespassing on my land! If you think you can get away with this, you are sadly mistaken. Come out now and put your hands up, you cowardly bastard”.

  
Mr Gold had arrived. He had run very quickly for a guy with a limp and a huge pendulum dragging him down. Christ, what was wrong with her? She had to go out and face her doom, his rage, and all her brain could think of was his dick.

  
She never had the chance to crawl out as Gold ripped the tent to bits in front of her. He was snarling and swearing and then suddenly silent as he recognised his prey.

  
“Miss FRENCH!” he spluttered. Belle looked up from where she was cowering to be met by the stunning presence of Mr Gold’s cock swinging angrily inches in front of her face.

It was then that Gold realised his state of undress in front of the town’s beautiful and petite librarian. He quickly moved his hands from the shape of fists to cover himself. He was looming over her and panting after the run and the destruction of her tent. He suddenly panicked that she was going to think he was about to attack her, or, in his naked state, even rape her.

  
“It’s huge!” squealed Belle. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Why did she have to say that, for fuck’s sake? She had to think fast, spin a yarn, come up with some reason to explain her way out of this mess.

“Your estate,” she stuttered. “It’s huge and borders the puffin breeding grounds and I needed to see them because of my bet with Merlin. Well, his name is Elliot, really, but he brags about training a merlin when he was a kid, and he is winning, and I had to see the puffins here before they die out or move north because of global warming and the herrings are not as plentiful, you see, and they are feeding their chicks bigger fish, butter-somethings, and they are too big and they are choking and starving and dying and getting washed up in Scotland, you are from Scotland—"

  
“Miss French. Miss French! It’s okay, I’m sorry, please stop. it’s okay, I am not going to attack you.” Gold slumped to the ground, moving one hand to rub at the scarring on his ankle.

  
“I am absolutely mortified that you are seeing me like this,” he continued. “I would like to assure you that I mean you absolutely no harm. I was upset that someone was trespassing and forgot about the lack of trunks. I honestly do not make a habit of chasing down young ladies in a state of undress. But these are my grounds and I thought that I was safely hidden from prying eyes.”

  
“I’m sorry, too,” said Belle. “I shouldn’t have been watching you. You can turn me into the police, I know I deserve it.”

  
“The police! Why would I… oh my god. You have pictures don’t you? This is what this is all about-- you are going to blackmail me, get me to give you money or you will plaster photos of my cock all around town. Where is your camera? Give it to me now!”

  
“No! No, that is not it at all! I was birdwatching and then I saw you and you were so beautiful and I just couldn’t stop looking and I would never do anything like blackmail you! But…I can tell from your face that you don’t believe me. How can I prove it?”

  
This was how Mr Ramesses Gold found himself on a Monday morning standing naked on a beach staring into the stunning blue eyes of Miss Belle French and trying not to ogle her equally stunning and totally naked figure.


	5. Chapter 5

“Miss French, please, _please_ put your clothes back on.”

  
“Oh, come on, Mr Gold. I think under the circumstances you can call me Belle. I will not dress until you believe that I am not out to blackmail you.”

  
“What? So I am to believe that you like looking at my pathetic body, when you are so young and beautiful and could have any man begging to be with you? I’ve seen Gaston sniffing ‘round you, Miss French. Surely he is more in your league?”

  
“Well, it _is_ true Mr Gold, I do like looking at _your_ body, very much, and I think you should stop arguing about it and join me in the water. I’ve been desperate to join you.”

  
With that, she turned and headed towards the sea. Gold was dumbstruck. Then she called after him. “Stop wasting time. I like you and I can see your body likes me, so just come and join me.”

  
He caught up to her near to the rock. She looked ethereal, bathed in sunlight, water dripping from her curls, her nipples proudly erect and glistening. He couldn’t speak, only stare in astonishment, but Belle did not seem to mind. She smiled and took his hand and they climbed up onto the ledge and stared out at the view in wonder.

  
“I am sorry for trespassing, Mr Gold,” Belle said with a sigh. “I really did come here to bird watch. If it is any consolation, until today I only had seen you from behind.”

  
“Until I saw light reflecting off your binoculars and came and ripped your tent apart,” interjected Gold.

  
“Ah, is that how you saw me? Don’t worry about the hide, I can always get another, but I think my trespassing days are over.”

  
“Well, Belle, that would be a shame because I realise that what has been missing from this view is someone to share it with. I usually sit on this ledge staring into the void, screaming internally, but I think today I see the sea for the first time.”

  
Belle smiled and squeezed his hand, he was still cupping himself with the other hand, rather unsuccessfully she noticed.

  
“I hadn’t realised you were feeling bad out here Mr Gold. You always looked so serene, communing with nature, free from the shackles of the modern world. I have been so desperate to just fling my clothes off and run into the water. But I didn’t want to disturb any nesting birds.”

  
That got them both giggling, and the giggling turned into hugging and the hugging initiated a kiss. A sweet kiss, light on the lips, hesitant, neither of them wanting to break it but both too timid to go further, so they were left hanging, fused, until they both gently pulled away, smiling.

  
“So, where are these infamous puffins of yours?” queried Gold.

  
“The island,” she said, pointing into the distance. “And yes, I cannot see a thing even with my binoculars. I was hoping a few strays may have chosen your cliffs, but alas, I have seen zero puffins. Just you.”

  
“And my puffin,” laughed Gold.

  
“Yes, your wondrously huge puffin, and plenty of terns and gulls. But I somehow think that Merlin will not permit the great gold puffin as a legitimate ornithological sighting. Although, knowing him, he would be very enamoured,” laughed Belle.

  
“Ah, so he is not your boyfriend, then?”

  
“No. I’m very single and Merlin is very happily married to Lance,” declared Belle.

  
“Lance? Seriously?” sniggered Gold. “That sounds more impressive that my puffin.”

  
“What about you?” Belle asked. “Any Mrs Golds I need to worry about?”

  
“No,” he sighed. “They have long flown the nest. Good riddance, too.”

  
“Oh, you sound very bitter,” consoled Belle. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience. Would you like to talk about it?”

  
“Not really, Belle. I had a very unhappy marriage. I mean, it’s not because I don’t want to tell you. For some insane reason, sitting here on this rock in the ocean, stark bollock naked, I feel as if I could tell you anything, reveal all the monster’s secrets. Is that weird?”

  
“No,” Belle said. “I think the nakedness, the company, the setting… it is kind of magical, freeing. I feel as if my whole life has been leading up to this moment. But if you are in the mood to tell secrets can you tell me why there is a rubber duck sitting on top of your pile of clothes?

  
“Ah,” said Gold, shame faced. That is Floyd and the reason why I’ve been skinny dipping. But that is a story for another time. Any other requests I can grant?”

  
“Well, since you are asking. Have you ever seen the film ‘From Here to Eternity’ ?”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep worryinglyinnocent's final prompt was skinny dipping.
> 
> Coming soon...
> 
> Part 2 Duck
> 
> What is the story behind the rubber duck and the skinny dipping?


End file.
